Life Lessons
"Life Lessons" is the eighteenth episode in the TV-series Danny Phantom. Danny and Valerie hardly get along, but unfortunately the two are stuck watching over a flour sack for school while at the same time having to avoid Skulker, who is clearly on both their tails. Episode Recap Danny flies his way to school while Skulker watches from afar, ready to strike. He is beaten to the punch when Valerie comes in with her ghost-hunting gear, ready to deliver a blow to Danny himself. The two equally match in strength, which causes Skulker to ponder who to hunt. In the end, he decides a contest between the two will suffice, the winner having the honor of being hunted by Skulker himself. Danny and Valerie continue their battle until the school bell rings. They quickly leave their alter ego disguises and run to their health science class, running into each other in the process. As a result, their teacher pairs the two up for a week-long school project of taking care of a flour sack as if it were their baby, much to both their annoyance. Sam and Tucker are paired together as well. While Tucker takes this all in stride, Sam is less than pleased watching over a flour sack. Neither is Danny or Valerie, the latter dumping the sack onto him as she states she is busy. At the Nasty Burger later on, Danny is already frustrated with the flour sack (which has an automated machine that makes it cry) while Tucker laments it could be worse, pointing to the person in a "Nasty Gnat" costume. Skulker watches from atop the Nasty Burger roof. In order to get Danny and Valerie fighting each other, he lures in the Box Ghost that he had captured, causing people to panic and both Danny and Valerie to take action (but not before getting Tucker to watch his flour sack and paying him to do so). Neither side gives in and in order to ensure the people's protection from her weapons, Danny turns human, causing Valerie to lose track of him, and fly off, Skulker's plan failing. Danny later walks over to Valerie's apartment and dumps the sack onto her, saying she needs to pull her weight as well. Valerie tries hard to let Danny know she has a busy job, but already aware of it, he still gets her to watch the flour sack. Skulker, witnessing this from afar sees the sack as a valuable item to both, so he goes invisible, steals the sack, makes it cry, and hands it to Danny (now turned Phantom after seeing Skulker), framing him. Valerie manages to chase Danny outside where he calmly places the sack down, knowing she can't hit it or else she'll fail. Skulker, upset neither are fighting each other instead changes the rule. Both Danny and Valerie are shocked unconscious, waking up in Skulker's lair where they are handcuffed to each other. Skulker plans to hunt them both at the same time. Tucker starts a babysitting service for money while Sam slowly bonds with her own flour sack, which she tries to deny; however when Tucker isn't looking, she takes the sack and raises it on her own. Meanwhile, Valerie panicks, wondering who Skulker is and where she is. Danny quickly explains it all and runs while Skulker starts the hunt. Danny's powers are cancelled out because of the handcuffs while Valerie is separated from her weapons. With little defense, the two run towards a cliff. Taking a risk, Valerie jumps and gets out her hoverboard. With little choice, she accepts Danny's help, who tells her to take one of the many doors out. Tucker encounters Sam, demanding the flour sack back until he realized he left the others he was babysitting behind. It should be noted here that Sam and Tucker share a random kiss in Tucker's immediate departure, and was not thinking at the time, and the two agree to "never speak of this again". Meanwhile, Danny learns Valerie is holding another job besides ghost hunting, something she's not happy about and even more unhappy with Danny whom she views as uncaring, leaving Danny rather shocked and guilty. Even worse, Skulker announces through the handcuffs that he has their flour sack. Immediately the duo return to Skulker where he's busy trying to get the flour sack to stop crying (and rather poorly, too). Danny and Valerie work together to defeat Skulker, later getting one of his own weapons to attack him, namely, paralyzing darts. Valerie afterwards gives gratitude to Danny for the time. Danny then overshadows her and takes her back to her apartment where she briefly falls unconscious. She wakes up to see human Danny who makes the excuse saying her door was open and it's his turn to watch the flour sack, which is now raggedy and damaged. He also discovers her second job is at the Nasty Burger, specifically as "Nasty Gnat", but promises her he won't tell anyone else. Meanwhile, Tucker's babysitting goes down the toilet when his mother accidentally uses all the flour inside to make cookies. At week's end, Danny and Valerie make it out with a "C" on account their flour sack survived Tucker's mother's cookie incident. Sam's flour sack, however, earns her an "A". Tucker later on refunds everyone's money while Danny takes over for Valerie as "Nasty Gnat" out of guilt while she goes out ghost hunting. Allusion *Skulker's thrill of the hunt chase after two (mostly similar) people echoes/pays homage to that of Richard Connell's 1924 short story, "The Most Dangerous Game" . Trivia * This is the first episode where Skulker was voiced by Kevin Michael Richardson instead of Matthew St. Patrick. Kevin Michael Richardson continues to voice Skulker for the rest of the series. Category:episodes